Silas Helm – Church Visit #3

Church name: Holy Trinity Church – Pilsen  

Church address: 1940 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Date attended: November 1, 2015

Church category: Lower Socio-Economic  

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The church was dissimilar to College Church. Located in an elementary school, the church was made up of faithful servants of Christ working together to spread the Gospel. The chairs were folding, and whole thing felt temporary in the best way. It was far from a production. Instead, it felt like genuine worship. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I found the music most interesting. The songs varied from contemporary Christian worship songs to traditional hymns. The variety within the music intrigued me because music is a common denominator between people. By diversifying the music, the service becomes more approachable to a wider audience of believers.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

The hardest part was following along with the sermon. The mic was quiet and the pastor’s speaking was declarative. We were also going through a whole chapter of 1 Samuel. While I appreciated the expository preaching, it was difficult to follow along. The text seemed distant. At the end though, the pastor related the importance and qualifications of king and savior to Jesus and then connected that to our need for Him. I can’t say it was a bad sermon, because it wasn’t. Instead, it wasn’t engaging. The delivery was difficult to track with which was disorienting and definitely a challenge.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

Much like my church visit to Hamnee, this service reminded me of humanity’s humility. We desperately need Jesus Christ. Without Him we are hopeless. I think something really valuable is the faithful servant hood that comes smaller churches. It seems like everyone was working together to make this happen. The people were devoted to the church and ensuring the spreading of the Gospel.